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December 2007
Fr ee www.thenorthcentralnews.com
‘It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like...’ Sharon Hubbard of Stafford creates cemetery boxes at the Colonial Flower Shoppe in Somers in preparation for the holiday season. Photo by David Butler II
Newly Elected Officials Identify Top Goals, Challenges By Margo Van Kuren With the November elections behind them, area town officials say they are ready and eager to get down to business. While each town is different, the overall goal is the same: to keep existing town services operating while minimizing tax increases. The first selectmen of Ellington, Stafford, and Somers all say their towns are looking into ways to economize by increasing shared services with school districts or within town departments. In Stafford, for example, town crews plow the school parking lots, so that equipment and storage space aren’t duplicated unnecessarily. The town and school district together bid on heating oil contracts, saving money by operating as a larger bargaining unit. And in Ellington, among the 14 revisions to the town charter recently passed by voters was the establishment of a “shared services” commission, to study ways that sharing services could benefit the town. STAFFORD CHANGES Of the recent elections, Stafford’s was perhaps the most emotionally charged. While Bacchiochi retained his seat as first selectman, his running mate, Kathy Prudden, lost her seat on the board — leaving Bacchiochi as the lone Republican with
new Democratic selectmen Michael Waugh and Richard Dobson. For now, though, both sides pledge to work together harmoniously. “We all want what is best for the town,” Bacchiochi said. “The goal is to work together. I look forward to working with the new board, and moving forward in a positive manner.” “I plan to work cooperatively with the First Selectman,” said Waugh, who had hoped to unseat Bacchiochi. “The important thing is to move town business forward in a orderly fashion.” He and Dobson plan to pursue their campaign platform of a more “open” government, Waugh added. INCREASED SERVICES Moving toward an increase in shared services is a goal of Somers First Selectman David Pinney and Selectmen Kathy Devlin and Joe Tolisano, all of whom ran unopposed this year. “We’ve expanded the town staff to include a new Chief Financial Officer and an operations manager,” Pinney said. “We’re going to be looking for ways to enhance town operations and to be more efficient across the different departments. We’re looking to engage more effectively with the school board and the Board of Finance in long-range planning for the town.”
Another priority for area towns is attracting commercial and industrial development to increase the tax base without ruining the essential character of the town. “We need to attract more commercial and light industrial development,” said re-elected Stafford Republican First Selectman Allen Bacchiochi. “Our current tax base is 84 percent residential and only 16 percent commercial.” Voters in Ellington overwhelmingly said
In This Issue • PEOPLE: Somers superintendent settles into enviroment ..............p.3 • HOLIDAYS: Area Santa sightings, seasonal songs & more ........pgs.4-5 • ELLINGTON: Selectmen back property purchase, meeting set for Dec. 10...p.7 • ELLINGTON: Middle School names first quarter student society members.pgs.8-9
• ENFIELD: Local men inducted to Veteran Hall of Fame ..............p.11 • SOMERS: Skate park deemed
“Yes” to a ballot question authorizing the town to issue bonds totaling up to $2 million to acquire development rights for working farms in town. “One of our primary goals is to continue in the direction of maintaining open space and farmland,” said Ellington First Selectman Michael Stupinski. Stupinski, the Republican incumbent,
Please see FUTURE PLANS, page 11
unsafe, slated for closure..........p.12 • SOMERS: Avery Middle School first quarter honor roll...........................p.13 • STAFFORD: Outgoing selectmen bid farewells at town meeting ...........p.20 • SPORTS: Honk the horns for Ellington’s state soccer champs! ..p.23
*NEXT ISSUE Editorial/Advertising Deadline: Dec. 27 (860) 698-9328